Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

How do I enable click-and-hold to open a link in a new tab?

more options

My OS upgraded to Sierra 10.12.2, and now I can no longer hold down a link to open a new tab. I searched the Mozilla Support forums and tried two different links, typed about:config in the URL bar, then searched for the provided hold-click phrase so I could toggle it to true... but apparently neither of those work for this updated OS. Does anyone know how to enable click-and-hold so I have this functionality restored?

My OS upgraded to Sierra 10.12.2, and now I can no longer hold down a link to open a new tab. I searched the Mozilla Support forums and tried two different links, typed about:config in the URL bar, then searched for the provided hold-click phrase so I could toggle it to true... but apparently neither of those work for this updated OS. Does anyone know how to enable click-and-hold so I have this functionality restored?

Chosen solution

Yes, Ctrl+click probably is the best workaround until someone figures out why click-and-hold stopped working.

Read this answer in context 👍 1

All Replies (9)

more options

How are you trying to open the new tab? Right-clicking the link?

more options

Sorry... there's no right-clicking on a Mac. My OS is Mac OS Sierra 10.12.2. My Firefox version is 50.1.0. What I *used* to do is click on a link and hold it. I would get a pull-down menu asking if I wanted to open the link in a new window, a new tab, copy the link, etc. Now nothing at all happens when I click and hold a link.

more options

I think on Mac Ctrl+click does what right-click does on Windows. However, no one got me a Mac for the holidays, so that's second hand information...

Firefox does have a preference called ui.click_hold_context_menus which sounds like it might be useful for you. Here's where you would enable that:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste ui.c and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the ui.click_hold_context_menus preference to switch the value from false to true -- at least on Windows it is false by default, not sure about Mac

more options
more options

cor-el: sorry, I'm not a developer, just a Mac user. That page was WAY above what I can do under the influence of Sudafed. Step-by-step instructions, please.

jscher2000, sorry no one got you a MacBook! :) I've typed about:config into the menu bar, then input ui.click_hold_context_menus into the Search field. I then double clicked it to make it True. I then quit out of Firefoz, then relaunched. Nothing changed.

Other ideas?

more options

AnaHotaling said

Other ideas?

Does Ctrl+click to emulate the Windows right-click work on your version of MacOS X?

more options

Don't know. I've never used a Windows machine and I've never Control-clicked. Sorry, I'm very old-school Apple.

more options

I typed about:config into the URL field again, located the ui.click_hold_context_menus listing, and used control-click. A menu appeared in which the top selection was Toggle. I toggled and it went from true to false. When I changed it to true earlier tonight, I rebooted my laptop, relaunched Firefox... and clicking and holding a link did absolutely nothing other than going to the link in the same window. No submenu asking about open in new window or in new tab or copy link.

Oh, interesting. When I control-click a link, that menu comes up. Is this what I'm going to have to do from now on, use control-click and hold instead of just clicking and holding?

more options

Chosen Solution

Yes, Ctrl+click probably is the best workaround until someone figures out why click-and-hold stopped working.